Daily News Brief on Rakhine State Affairs 21/03/2018

After reviewing the names, photos and home villages of 8,032 displaced persons sent by Bangladesh, 193 more persons were identified as having lived in Myanmar as of 19 March, officials said. A Myanmar-Bangladesh ministerial-level meeting was held at the meeting hall of the Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor on 22 November 2017, and the two countries signed an arrangement for the return of displaced persons from Rakhine State. Initially, some 508 Hindus and 750 Muslims who were already reviewed, totalling 1,258, were sent to Myanmar through Bangladesh. The 508 Hindus included in this list wished to return and the Myanmar government was informed about this by Hindu religious leaders. The Bangladesh side sent a list of the first group of returnees who wanted to return, totalling 8,032, from 1,637 households. When the particulars of the 8,032 returnees that were sent without the prescribed papers were evaluated, only 363 persons were found to have lived in Myanmar. The assessment was continued, and as of 19 March, 193 more were found to have lived in Myanmar. Of the 8,032 persons in the list, only 556 were found to have lived in Myanmar. Arrangements were made so that their photographs and thumb prints could be evaluated using computer software. However, the list provided did not have the required particulars, such as the photographs, thumb prints and addresses, and took considerable time to compare the available information. The 556 who were already reviewed and checked will be accepted when Bangladesh sends them over. —MNA, The Global New Light of Myanmar --------------------------------------

Independent media tour Maungtaw for 15th time Naypyitaw March 20

The Union Government arranged media trips to Maungtaw, Rakhine State for local and foreign independent media to cover the peace and development in Maungtaw following the armed attacks on 9th October 2016. Members of the independent media visited Maungtaw once in 2016, eight times in 2017 and six times in 2018. —The Global New Light of Myanmar ------------------------------------

Joint patrols along Myanmar-Bangladesh border Naypyitaw March 20

Following coordination between the two countries, the Myanmar Border Police and Bangladesh Border Police forces conducted a joint patrol along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border fence, from border post 34 to 38, on the morning of 15 March. A total of 17 coordinated patrols were held along the land border, along with a coordinated naval patrol along the Naf River on 5 March. The countries will continue to hold coordinated patrols in the future. —The Global New Light of Myanmar ------------------------------------------

Mayyu Mountain in Rakhine roads upgraded Sittway March 20

Six miles of dirt roads in the Mayyu Mountains in Rakhine State have been upgraded to a hard surface using rocks, according to an official from the government construction team known as Special Road Group (17). An earthen road that linked Kyaukpandu, Indin, and Zedipyin villages was built last year, and will soon be accessible to motor traffic because of the hard surfacing, officials said. In the plains area, the road is 40 feet wide and on the mountains it is 34 feet wide. It will be constructed to a two-lane macadam road first and it will be upgraded to a concrete one next year. The road connects Zedipyin Village in Yathedaung Township with Kyaukpandu Village in Maungtaw Township. It will also be the main road that connects the villages in eastern side of Mayyu Mountain range with villages in the western side. In the past there was only one road from Buthidaung to Maungtaw that went over the mountain. The present government is planning to build four more roads over the mountain and in fiscal year 2017-2018, Kyaukpandu-Indin-Zedipyin road and Kyeinchaung-Gopi road will be built. Two more roads, U Daung-Nyaung Chaung Road and That Kine Nya-Padaga Road, are being planned, it is learnt. —The Global New Light of Myanmar